“Okay.” He looked back toward the bar. “I’m going to go back inside for a little while. I saw some interesting prospects, and I’m going to pursue them, see what happens.” He nudged me with his elbow. “Might I suggest you go home and do the same?”
I grinned. “I just may do that. It was good to meet you, Alex.”
“You, too. I’m going to be in town for two weeks, so if you need anyone to talk to or to take you dancing ... you know where I am. One farm over.”
“Got it. Good night.”
The car was silent as I drove through town. I thought Ali had fallen asleep, so I jumped a little when she spoke.
“Isn’t Alex great? I’ve missed him.”
“Yeah.” I fumbled with a way to bring up a sensitive topic. “Ah, couldn’t have been easy to grow up gay in a small town in Georgia.”
Ali’s laugh was laced with sleepiness. “Yeah, but nobody bothered him. Not really. He was always just Alex. He’s so cool. He was there for me ... during a bad time.”
I frowned. “He was in your high school class, right? So didn’t you say he went away to college? Was he around when you were getting divorced?”
“No. No, that wasn’t a bad time, that was only a course correction. It was the best thing for Bridge and me, when Craig left.”
“Does Craig ever see Bridget? Where did he go, anyway?”
“He moved to Arkansas. No, he doesn’t see her. Hasn’t since she was a baby.” She was quiet for a few minutes, and then I heard the unmistakable sound of a single sob.
“I’m sorry.” I kept one hand on the wheel and my eyes on the road as I reached over to pat her arm. “I didn’t mean to bring up a sensitive subject.”
“No. You didn’t. I always get—” She hiccupped. “I get weepy when I drink.” She sighed, her breath shaky. “Craig doesn’t see Bridget because she’s not his daughter.”
“Ah. Oh.” I worked to keep my voice even.
“No one knows, except Craig and Alex.”
“And Sam?”
She shook her head. “No, Sam doesn’t know. I was afraid if I told him the truth, he wouldn’t let me marry Craig, and he’d go after—her real father. And that was the last thing I wanted.”
“Who is her real father? Is he still around?”
Ali bit her lip. “He was my boyfriend for a long time. But he left Burton the day after high school graduation, and he never came back. We had a fight, and that was the end. I didn’t know about Bridget. By the time I did, it was too late. I was dating Craig already, mostly because I was still so hurt, and when I told him ...” She shrugged. “He asked me to marry him. He thought it would be fun, I guess, to try to make a family. It didn’t work. But Alex was there for me in those days when I was trying to figure out what to do.”
We were both quiet until I turned off the road and onto the driveway that led to the farm. “I’m so sorry, Ali. That must have been incredibly hard.”
She turned to grip my wrist. “You can’t tell Sam, okay? Some day I will. But now, it would crush him to find out I didn’t tell him the truth back then.”
“I promise, I won’t say anything.” The headlights of the car swept over the house as we pulled to the back, and I thought I saw someone sitting on the front porch. Sam, watching to make sure we got home, I assumed. I parked the car, and Ali and I snuck into the back like kids after curfew.
“I’m going right upstairs to bed.” She stopped suddenly and pulled me into a tight hug. “Thank you, Meghan. I had so much fun tonight. You have no idea.” She released me and turned to climb the steps.
I waited until I heard the click of her bedroom door, and then I shut off the lights Sam had left on for us. Taking a deep breath, I headed for the front porch.
Time to shake, rattle and roll.
THE MUCHKIN WASN’T HARD to put to bed. One boring storybook later, she was sound asleep, snoring softly, with her mouth open. Whether it was the fact that she was worn out from art class and her chores today, or just that she knew I wasn’t going to take any nonsense, I didn’t have the same problems her mother did with bedtime. I went back downstairs and wandered. I should have been exhausted, too, but I couldn’t settle. I tried to sit down with a book I’d been reading for the last month, but every time I heard the slightest noise, my ears perked up, wondering if the girls were home.
Finally, just before midnight, I stalked outside to sit on the porch. The night was still, but every now and then, a breeze blew up to rustle the trees. Stretching out my legs, I dropped my head onto the back of the rocking chair and closed my eyes.